St. Joseph of the Palisades High School
Encyclopedia
Saint Joseph of the Palisades High School was a private
, Roman Catholic high school
in West New York
, New Jersey
, United States
. It was located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
.
As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 291 students and 19.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.0. On February 27, 2009 it was announced the school would close at the end of the 2008-09 school year due to dwindling enrollment.
and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Prior to 1972, the school was divided by gender with a girls' teaching department and a boys' teaching department. Under the guidance of Father Gerald Walsh, the two departments merged to become the co-ed school located at 5400 Broadway Avenue, West New York, New Jersey.
By 2009, the student body numbered 222. The school's budget shortfall was $400,000.00USD, and the parish was in debt for $1.5 million, incurred as a result of supporting the school. Because the school required at least 275 students to remain financially solvent, final permission to close the school was granted in a February 12 letter from Archbishop of Newark John J. Myers to the Rev. Monsignor Gregory K. Studerus, pastor of St. Joseph of the Palisades Church, who informed the school's advisory board February 25. At the time, it was the latest of many Catholic
schools in the county to fall on such hard times. The last graduation ceremony the school's was held on June 5, 2009. 64 seniors graduated, with six more expected to complete their coursework during that summer. Principal Bruce Segall applied to the state to start a new charter school to serve the remaining underclassmen, hoping to use the St. Joseph building,, but his application was not approved. The sale of the building to the city of West New York as a means of expanding Memorial High School
was one possibility mentioned.
, which includes public and private high schools in Hudson County
. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
.
St. Joseph of the Palisades High School offered various athletic sports to its students including:
Boys Athletics
Girls Athletics
(born 1954), Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security to President Barack Obama
.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, Roman Catholic high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in West New York
West New York, New Jersey
West New York is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 49,708.-Geography:...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex .-History:Originally established as the Diocese of...
.
As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 291 students and 19.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.0. On February 27, 2009 it was announced the school would close at the end of the 2008-09 school year due to dwindling enrollment.
History
St. Joseph of the Palisades was established in 1931. The school had been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since 1961. This high school was also a member of the National Honor SocietyNational Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
. Prior to 1972, the school was divided by gender with a girls' teaching department and a boys' teaching department. Under the guidance of Father Gerald Walsh, the two departments merged to become the co-ed school located at 5400 Broadway Avenue, West New York, New Jersey.
By 2009, the student body numbered 222. The school's budget shortfall was $400,000.00USD, and the parish was in debt for $1.5 million, incurred as a result of supporting the school. Because the school required at least 275 students to remain financially solvent, final permission to close the school was granted in a February 12 letter from Archbishop of Newark John J. Myers to the Rev. Monsignor Gregory K. Studerus, pastor of St. Joseph of the Palisades Church, who informed the school's advisory board February 25. At the time, it was the latest of many Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
schools in the county to fall on such hard times. The last graduation ceremony the school's was held on June 5, 2009. 64 seniors graduated, with six more expected to complete their coursework during that summer. Principal Bruce Segall applied to the state to start a new charter school to serve the remaining underclassmen, hoping to use the St. Joseph building,, but his application was not approved. The sale of the building to the city of West New York as a means of expanding Memorial High School
Memorial High School (West New York, New Jersey)
Memorial High School is a four-year public high school that serves students from West New York, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the West New York School District. WNYSD, an Abbott District, serves all of the city of West New York...
was one possibility mentioned.
Athletics
The St. Joseph of the Palisades High School Blue Jays competed in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic AssociationHudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The league consists of 23 public and parochial high schools in Hudson County in northern New Jersey...
, which includes public and private high schools in Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
.
St. Joseph of the Palisades High School offered various athletic sports to its students including:
Boys Athletics
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Bowling
- Football
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Tennis
Girls Athletics
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Notable alumni
John O. BrennanJohn O. Brennan
John O. Brennan is chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama; officially his title is Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Assistant to the President...
(born 1954), Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security to President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
External links
- School Website
- St. Joseph of the Palisades High School, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...